Alongside investing and funding, the government of Alberta must emphasize entrepreneurship and keep co-operating with the private sector
Technology companies have emerged as clear winners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jurisdictions without a traditional tech imprint – like Alberta – have funnelled funds to facilitate startups. That’s a good diversification strategy, but they should be careful not to veer into protectionism and favouritism. It came as no surprise that in 2020 retail sales through…
Innovative research could provide a supply of renewable fuel
A potentially huge industrial project to create jet fuel from biowaste has received a $2.89-million funding boost from Natural Resources Canada. The investment, which includes $1.99 million in direct funding and $900,000 in in-kind contributions, will go toward setting up an advanced fuel-testing suite in lead researcher David Bressler’s lab and will also support the work of several…
Innovative research could provide a supply of renewable fuel
A potentially huge industrial project to create jet fuel from biowaste has received a $2.89-million funding boost from Natural Resources Canada. The investment, which includes $1.99 million in direct funding and $900,000 in in-kind contributions, will go toward setting up an advanced fuel-testing suite in lead researcher David Bressler’s lab and will also support the work of several…
A fast-growing Edmonton startup company that’s a new player in the cellular agriculture sector recently received US$2.2 million from three U.S. venture capital firms and a number of private investors. Future Fields, which was incorporated in 2018, was founded by two University of Alberta graduates and a former U of A employee. All but two…
Uses range from reclaiming wastewater to capturing carbon and decontaminating soil
It looks like the throwaway scrapings from a barbecue grill, but biochar is fanning the flames of discovery as University of Alberta researchers explore the product’s environmental benefits. The blackened byproduct – created from waste like cow manure, wheat and canola straw, and sawdust produced in Alberta – has many uses that help the environment…
Local access is crucial if we are to ensure the long-term viability of our technology sector
The Canadian mining sector has been a vital cog in the country’s economy during the pandemic, with the importance of the industry growing steadily over time. Operations and exploration continued during the COVID-19 outbreak, collaborations with Indigenous communities expanded, technological sophistication accelerated, and, at a time when environmental assessment processes deter investment in Canada, international…
When paired with a silicon chip, gallium and its alloys produce a powerful memory device capable of stable, accurate information storage
An international research team of chemists has identified a new method of creating high-quality memory devices, called memristors, for electronics using inexpensive and non-toxic liquid metals. At the heart of the revolutionary technology are gallium and its alloys. Gallium is a non-toxic and lustrous metal that’s better known for its use in soldering. But when…
Most Canadians wouldn’t know that a lot of the innovation we’ve seen in food retailing in Canada has come from independents
Most of us wouldn’t know if we were in an independently owned and operated grocery store unless a notice is posted somewhere as you enter the store or you ask someone. Canada regularly loses an independent grocer these days. Last week, we learned that Empire (Sobeys) would purchase one of Canada’s top premium independent grocers,…
$15M investment focuses U of A’s innovation and commercialization capabilities, starting with precision agriculture, autonomous vehicles
The University of Alberta has announced a five-year partnership with Telus to establish a 5G “Living Lab” at the U of A that will contribute to a pipeline of new research and technology with commercial applications. It will also support the development of the talent pool needed to enhance economic recovery and diversification in Alberta.…
Advance in water filtration technology has applications everywhere from the energy industry and agriculture to municipal water treatment
In 2017, University of Alberta mechanical engineering professor Mohtada Sadrzadeh found himself presenting his work on a new water treatment technology at the Canadian Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) conference right after a researcher from an IBM research centre who was pitching almost exactly the same technology. “It was strange for me at first — you hear the name…
Technology companies have emerged as clear winners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jurisdictions without a traditional tech imprint – like Alberta – have funnelled funds to facilitate startups. That’s a good diversification strategy, but they should be careful not to veer into protectionism and favouritism. It came as no surprise that in 2020 retail sales through…
